Like many people, I have been thinking about the events of September 11, 2001, as the tenth anniversary approaches. This article from the New York Times earlier this week focused on the media’s efforts to cover the anniversary with sensitivity, and it called to mind some remarks I gave about the media’s conduct in the […]
There’s really only one sure-fire way to use up the tomatoes that are coming out of the garden right now in epic numbers, and that is to turn the little beasties into sauce. This is easier than it might appear. The secret is having the right equipment; in this case, a food mill. This wonder […]
I’ve decided to start adding my thoughts and experience regarding cooking, which is one of my favorite activities. Cooking offers some parallels to the overall theme of risk-taking I’m so fond of extolling in these pages. That’s what I hope to explore anyway. At its best, cooking is improvisational, highly creative, personal, which could well […]
Thanks to Yahoo’s dismissal of Carol Bartz, we have a fresh example of how CEO firings are communicated. Instead of a well-crafted joint news release, Bartz herself trumped the company’s announcement by sending a terse, firm-wide email that quickly found its way to the press. And before everyone else had it, Kara Swisher at Dow […]
Last week Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK) abruptly announced that its CEO, Robert Kelly was leaving, citing “differences in approaches to managing the company.” The story made headlines for a day but was quickly forgotten, and the stock price has held pretty steady – both hallmarks of a communications success. Of course it […]
Ten years after the terror attack that killed two-thirds of its New York staff and nearly destroyed the firm, Cantor Fitzgerald is thriving, the New York Times reported in a Sunday feature. The firm’s success is due in large measure to CEO Howard Lutnick and a handful of executives who survived the day. Their determination, […]
I’m starting a new feature that will run every Friday (well, that’s the plan anyway) and focus on one or two interesting pieces on risk. I’ll flag news articles, speeches, commentaries and other content that offers a thoughtful perspective on risk – both purposeful risk-taking as well as risk mitigation. This week, it seems appropriate […]
Bank of America’s shot at Henry Blodget is a measure of how influential the blogosphere has now become in the financial markets. It’s also a reminder of the pitfalls of taking on critics publicly in any forum. For every company that has seen its stock price plummet, the scene within BofA is a familiar one: […]
It’s hard to know if Standard & Poor’s believed its Friday-night downgrade of the US credit rating was a routine action or something unusual. After all, the agency had warned about the risks of a downgrade, and many in the market believed it was possible, if not likely. And it announced the decision in the […]
I recently spoke to graduate students at Baruch College in New York City. The topic was employee communications in M&A deals, and I introduced what I call “Richard’s Rules” for these situations. Here’s a sample. 1. News will leak, and usually at the worst time. Anyone who has handled communications for an M&A deal knows […]